Mark Andy Comco’s C2

Mark Andy, which has owned Comco since 2001, unveils at Labelexpo Americas the Comco C2, a servo driven printing and converting machine that was constructed from the bottom up based on the needs of the people who use and profit from these presses.
The C2 started with what Mark Andy calls “The Voice of the Customer”. According to Greg Palm, sales and marketing VP, the company met with many converters, recorded their comments, and reviewed the comments with them later to make sure they understood what the customers wanted.
“They told us to improve print quality, to reduce makeready time and waste, and to achieve higher operating speeds,” Palm says. “They want the press accessible to people of different skill levels, they want it to be durable and reliable, and they want improvement in process flexibility.” The company’s goal, he adds, was to create a press that is “unique and superior”.
The C2 comes in web widths from 16" to 32", and has a mechanical speed of up to 1,200 fpm. It can run materials of thicknesses the vary from 0.0005" to 0.024" (12µ to 610µ). The press utilizes sleeves for print cylinders and anilox rolls, and has an electronic line shaft. Servo motors control impression, plate and anilox rolls.
Finely engineered knobs on the front of the press allow operators to retain mechanical control over ink, impression and lateral registration. These can be replaced, if desired, by servo motors.
As with other servo powered presses, the C2 offers a wealth of electronic enhancements, including data collection and job memory, as well as real-time interface with the manufacturer for troubleshooting. The press departs in appearance from earlier generation Comcos: It has been ergonomically designed, says Palm, to make operation easier on the operator.
According to Paul Brauss, president of Mark Andy, the C2 exhibits superior print quality performance. “The registration performance is superior to existing flexography,” he says, “and web offset. It is automated to enable virtually no waste, and designed to produce only a single print station of waste beyond the initial press length.”
The trademarked I-Drive (Intelli-gent Drive System) runs the C2. “It is the complete integration of a variety of advanced technology features found on the Comco C2 inline press,” says Kevin Manes, engineering manager. “The concept is that all of this